Vodafone chief dismissive of 5G race

15 MAY 2018

Outgoing Vodafone Group CEO Vittorio Colao (pictured) warned the industry was too obsessed with “technology definitions” and should focus on whatever access technology makes both business sense and meets demand.

Speaking at the company’s earnings press conference, Colao said the service available on enhanced 4G networks was more than enough to deliver media and other services currently required by the market. 5G, he added, would become more relevant further down the line as applications requiring lower latency are developed.

“We are too obsessed with the technology definition,” the executive said. “It’s not about the race to technology it’s a race on quality, speed and latency.”

“You can only use whatever technology makes more sense from a financial point of view,” he added, describing 5G as a “solid, strong evolution” in network technology, but noting it would take years to gain a solid footprint.

The executive forecast operators would eventually use 5G and 4G alongside a “small amount” of 2G. He predicted 3G would disappear completely.

Although Deutsche Telekom CEO Timotheus Hoettges has poured scorn on Vodafone’s chances of the deal getting through regulators, Colao emphasised he was confident the acquisition raised no regulatory issues.

Author

Chris Donkin

Chris joined the Mobile World Live team in November 2016 having previously worked at a number of UK media outlets including Trinity Mirror, The Press Association and UK telecoms publication Mobile News. After spending 10 years in journalism, he moved...